| Walter Pennington | |
| Team: | Texas Rangers |
| Number: | 52 |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 14 April 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Broomfield, Colorado, U.S. |
| Bats: | Left |
| Throws: | Left |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | July 5 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Kansas City Royals |
| Statyear: | August 15, 2024 |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–0 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 1.69 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 7 |
| Teams: |
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Walter Carlton Pennington (born April 14, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals.
After going unselected in the 2020 MLB draft, Pennington signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on August 24, 2020.[1] He did not appear for the organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Pennington split his first professional season between the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Royals and Single–A Columbia Fireflies. In 25 games for the two affiliates, he accumulated a 3.32 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 4 saves across innings pitched.[3]
Pennington split the 2022 campaign between the High–A Quad Cities River Bandits and Double–A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, compiling a 5.19 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 3 saves across 36 appearances.[4] He spent the majority of the 2023 season with the Triple–A Omaha Storm Chasers, having received a promotion following eight scoreless appearances for Northwest Arkansas. In 41 games for Omaha, Pennington logged a 7–2 record and 3.69 ERA with 64 strikeouts across 61 innings.[5]
Pennington began 2024 back in Omaha, where he posted a 2.35 ERA with 76 strikeouts across 32 outings. On July 5, 2024, Pennington was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. [6]
On July 29, 2024, the Royals traded Pennington to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Michael Lorenzen, with Pennington being optioned to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, after the trade.[7]